Playing With Fate
by turniphead815
Summary: If Charlie and Claire had met before the crash, things would have gone very different for both of them! Please read & review.
1. What If?

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own LOST or the characters.**

**Author's Note: I'm not sure if I like this fic yet, so review if you want me to continue. If anyone reads my "It's Not Over" series, I am still updating, but I'm having serious writers block right now. Enjoy!**

Claire Littleton normally liked the long walk from her home to the grocery store. There was plenty of nice scenery, and she got fresh air and exercise. Today, however, was a different story. It was too hot, and she was too pregnant for this. It was a bright, sunny September day in Sydney, Australia, and Claire was almost eight months pregnant. She was giving the baby up though, she couldn't even imagine being a single mother, she was only 21! In fact, in just a few days she was flying to LA to give the baby to a nice couple that a psychic had referred to her. It sounded crazy, but that was pretty much the story of her life these days. She was thinking about this, as she heard yelling a little ways away. Claire turned her head toward a nice looking house that she was standing in front of, and shifted her grocery bag to her other hand. The yelling continued, and after a minute, Claire continued on her way. Just then the door burst open and a blond man came running out. Before she had time to process what was happening, Claire was on the ground, holding her stomach as her food rolled all over the sidewalk.

"I'm sorry," The man said in an English accent, rushing to pick up her things. "Are you all right?"

"I think so," Claire said uneasily, as she pulled herself to her feet. He handed her the bag, and locked eyes with her.

"I'll replace the stuff in the bag if you want."

"Oh, no, it's probably fine."

"Come on now, you're eating for two, the baby needs the best." He grinned at her, and Claire couldn't help but smile back. "I'm Charlie by the way."

"I'm Claire Littleton," They shook hands, and Charlie reached into his pocket and pulled out some money. "No really, it's OK."

"It's not actually. I'd feel bloody awful if something is contaminated. Better safe then sorry."

"Nothing is contaminated, don't worry about it," But Claire was laughing a little now. She walks this same route every week, why had she not met this guy before?

"If you insist," Charlie said putting the money back in his pocket. "Do you live around here?"

"Yeah, two blocks away, in the expensive apartment that my ex-boyfriend left me with. Nice of him don't you think?"

"Bloody lovely. Well he's your ex for a reason right?" Claire laughed again.

"That's very true." She ran her free hand down her belly and sighed, remembering how Thomas, her ex-boyfriend had left her, pregnant and alone, three months ago. "Well I should get going, but it was good to meet you Charlie."

"Good to meet you too, Claire." Claire smiled, and thought about him the whole way home. He was sweet and funny, but maybe it was good that she hadn't gotten his phone number or any way to contact him. He probably wasn't from around here anyway, and she was pregnant. Even though she was putting the baby up for adoption, it couldn't be that much fun for him to have a pregnant girlfriend when the baby wasn't even his. She took her time walking the last two blocks home, stopping at a little ice cream shop and treating herself to a cone. When she finally got home, she was surprised when her superintendent was waiting for her.

"Miss Littleton, someone just came by and dropped this off for you a minute ago. I don't know who he was." Claire suspiciously took the large brown paper bag away from the superintendent, and looked at it. It was tied securely at the top so she couldn't see what was inside.

"Thanks Mr. Waters," Claire said, before starting up the stairs to her apartment. When she got inside, she noticed something written in the corner of the bag. In neat, block letters, '_Charlie Pace_' was printed with a phone number beneath it. She felt a smile coming over her face as she untied the bag and looked inside. It was some of the food that she had just bought, obviously brand new, right from the store. He'd replaced them, just like he wanted to. It was a little cheesy, but very, very sweet. She threw away her own groceries, replacing them with the ones Charlie had bought right away.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"So what are you doing in Australia?" Two days had passed after their initial meeting, but Claire had called him the first night to thank him. It was then that he'd asked her out for dinner. Just as friends, nothing more, which was good because Claire wasn't sure that she was ready for anything more.

"My brother lives here actually. I came to visit him. You may remember him- and me for that matter- from a band called DriveShaft?" Claire shook her head.

"DriveShaft?" She repeated, "I don't think I've heard of that."

"Oh come on, you've got to be kidding me! _You all everybody! You all everybody!_" He sang in a high falsetto voice. "We're staging a comeback! Or we were...until Liam bailed." Claire giggled. "Don't laugh," Charlie said, pretending to be offended. "I do back up vocals on that one. You've heard it I'm sure."

"Sorry, I don't think I have." Charlie just sighed.

"Your loss."

"So when are you leaving then? I mean if you've got this big comeback thing going on and all." As she spoke, she half wished that he would stay in Australia, even though she was leaving in less than a week and going to LA until she had the baby.

"I'm going to Los Angeles on Wednesday. Without a lead singer, the big comeback won't get very far though. You don't sing do you?" Charlie asked, only half joking.

"No, definitely not. But you said you're leaving Wednesday? Me too. I've got to go to LA for some...business."

"In your condition? Is it even safe to fly?" Claire grew quiet at the question. She rarely discussed with anyone the fact that once the baby was born she wouldn't be keeping it.

"Special circumstances I guess. I'm giving the baby up, there's a couple in California."

"Ah," Charlie said, as if he understood. A slightly awkward silence followed, and they both looked down to their plates, like maybe they held the key to keeping the conversation going.

"I was kind of having second thoughts?" She didn't intend for this to come out like a question, but it did. This was something she'd never said out loud before, she'd barely even allowed her self to think it. There was no way she could handle a baby by herself.

"Don't do it if you aren't sure," Charlie said reasonably.

"But I can't take care of a baby. I haven't got enough money to support myself, let alone a child, and my parents, well they couldn't help me at all, my father-"

"I could help you," Charlie interrupted. "I mean what are friends for right?"

"But you're leaving soon."

"I could stay."

"Why would you do that?" Claire asked, confused. "We don't even know each other." Charlie shrugged.

"My brother lives here, I could stay with him. It might be good." Claire thought about this for only a brief second before deciding.

"I'll keep the baby. I'll call off the adoption tonight." She surprised herself by actually getting excited over this.

"And I'll cancel my flight and call my brother."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" _He must be crazy, _Claire thought, _I'm some random pregnant girl he just met and he's already making plans to help out with the baby?_

"I am if you are."

"Thanks, Charlie."

"Anytime."


	2. Secrets & Lies

**Author's Note: This one is a tad short, but the story will get better (I hope)! Please review if you like it and I will keep going.**

"I just don't understand why you think you can trust this guy! You've known him for five bloody days Claire! He's telling the exact same things that Thomas told you, the difference is this is just some random bloke off the street!"

"He's not just a random guy Aunt Lindsay, you don't even know him." Today was the day that Claire was scheduled to fly to LA, where she would stay until she gave birth. Instead, she told her aunt that she was not going. She had waited until the last possible second to tell her, because she knew she would react this way. It was completely crazy, and definitely not something Claire would normally do, throwing away all of her plans for a guy she'd known not even a week yet, but somehow it felt right. Nine hours ago she and Charlie were both supposed to get on a plane, go their separate ways and probably never see each other again. But they hadn't.

"Neither do you! That is exactly my point!" She continued yelling, but Claire turned her attention to the news channel that was on mute behind Lindsay. A banner across the bottom read '_Oceanic 815 Tragedy_'

"Wait," Claire said holding up her hand and unmuting the television.

"Three hours ago Oceanic flight 815 completely disappeared off of the radar. 324 passengers and crew were on board, and it seems that they will all be presumed dead," The anchor woman announced, and footage cut to a distraught looking middle aged woman talking about her son and step daughter that were on the plane.

"Oh my God. That was my flight."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So did you hear the news about the plane?" Claire asked Charlie the following morning. She was supposed to go shopping for baby clothes and furniture with his sister-in-law that day.

"What plane?"

"Our plane."

"We have a plane?" Claire playfully hit him and rolled her eyes. She hadn't known him for very long at all, but he already had a knack for making her laugh, which was tough to do.

"The plane we were supposed to be on, to fly to LA. It crashed, you know."

"Did it?" Charlie asked absentmindedly.

"I can't believe you don't care. You could have died."

"But I didn't. Are you ready to leave? Karen will be back in a minute." Charlie told her, referring to his brothers wife. He didn't seem quite like himself today, he was very jumpy and fidgety.

"Are you okay?" Claire asked, concerned. Charlie tapped his fingers against the counter, making a 'clink' whenever the ring he wore on his middle finger hit the granite.

"Never better. I have to...use the bathroom. Freshen up." Claire bit her lip as she watched him go. He wasn't like anyone she'd known before, that was for sure.

An hour later, Claire and Karen walked through the baby store a few blocks away. Claire examined the price tag on a onesie and sighed. Having a baby was more expensive then she thought.

"I think you and Charlie are really good together," Karen said, as she picked up a blanket.

"Oh," Claire said in surprise. She and Karen hadn't spoken much on their shopping trip. "Well we're not really-"

"He was in a really bad place a few weeks ago and I think you can help him."

"Bad place?" Claire repeated.

"He didn't tell you?" Karen set down the blanket and turned to look at Claire.

"Tell me what? What's going on?"

"If he didn't say anything I probably shouldn't," Karen lowered her voice and spoke quickly. "It's just he was having some problems before he came to Australia and Liam said he didn't want the band to get back together, and we think that made it worse."

"Made what worse? What kind of problems does he have?" Claire was beginning to realize what her Aunt Lindsay meant when she called Charlie 'some random bloke off the street.' For all she knew he could have murdered someone and here she was asking him, a total stranger, to help raise her child.

"Never mind." Karen said briskly, and pushed the shopping cart forward. "I'm pretty sure it's all over and done with. In the past." Claire nodded, but her imagination was running wild. What could he have possibly done?

That night, Claire was glued to the news watching for any updates on the plane crash. She watched an older Spanish woman cry over her son, who happened to be worth $156 million dollars, that was lost in the crash. Charlie knocked twice on the door before coming in.

"I brought you some peanut butter," Charlie said with a smile. However, Claire was a bit irritated with him. Something big had happened in his life that he didn't tell her about. She turned off the television and stood up.

"Karen told me you had some problems," Claire said straight out. She watched Charlie's face turn from happiness to upset and a little scared in an instant.

"Okay. Don't get mad, but there's something I maybe should have told you." He paused, "I am a heroin addict. Well, I was. I'm clean now, I swear. Liam has me going to these fancy rehab sessions and everything."

"I can't believe this," Claire practically shouted. Drugs. He was a druggie. She couldn't raise a baby with someone like that. "This was a mistake. I'm giving the baby up just like I said I would."

"No, Claire, wait a minute!" Charlie yelled, but Claire had already slammed her bedroom door shut like a child and laid on her bed. She'd never actually gotten the information for the couple that was supposed to adopt her baby, so she would have to go back to the psychic in the morning and ask. "Claire!" She heard him outside her door, but she didn't answer. This might not be such a big deal to some people, but it was to her.

"Just go away Charlie."

"I won't go away, you have to talk to me. I should have told you, I'm sorry. I haven't used any drugs since I met you, I promise."

"How am I supposed to believe you? I don't even know you, please, just go." Claire listened for another moment, and when she heard him sigh and leave the apartment she got under the covers and cried herself to sleep.


	3. Moving On

**Author's Note: This chapter is a little short, but the next one will be longer. Thanks for the reviews everyone, keep them coming!**

"I missed my flight. But I guess you know that already."

"You didn't miss it. I know that too," The psychic, Richard Malkin, replied. The morning after Claire and Charlie's argument, well really it was just Claire yelling at him, she had gone back to the psychic who had advised her to go to Los Angeles in the first place. "So you met someone?"

"Yeah, he wasn't...who I thought he was. Anyway, I was hoping you could give me the information for the couple in LA? I decided I want to go through with the adoption."

"I'm afraid the couple has pulled out," Richard told her. "After you missed the flight they worried you were unreliable and they want nothing to do with your baby." Claire sat back in her chair and thought about this.

"I thought you said they were good people? You said they could raise the baby. What do I do now? I can't do this on my own. There's got to be another couple somewhere." Richard sighed after listening to Claire.

"Miss Littleton, there never was a couple in Los Angeles."

"What?" Claire asked, confused. It had seemed fishy, him just giving her plane tickets and money to fly across the world to give her child to people who's names she didn't even know, but she'd gone along with it, so he would stop calling her at all hours telling her that she needed to raise the baby herself.

"You have to raise this baby. Only you. This man that you met. You said he wasn't what you thought he was?"

"Wait, so you knew the plane was going to crash? You were going to kill me and my baby because I was going to give the stupid thing up? You're crazy!"

"Miss Littleton, you don't understand, danger surrounds this child!"

"I'm giving the baby away and you can't stop me." Claire pushed her chair away from the table and got up.

"This man, he can help you raise the baby. He is good."

"What the hell does Charlie have to do with anything? He's not good. He's a liar and a bastard."

"No, he's not." Richard stood up too, locking eyes with Claire. "You weren't going to die in the plane crash. You would have lived, you and Charlie both."

"This is crazy, you are crazy!" Claire stormed out of the psychic's house, slamming the door behind her. What did he know? They said on the news that everyone on the plane was assumed to be dead. There was no way she could have survived that, and even if she had, what were the chances that she could actually give birth there, wherever 'there' was? He was just a deranged old man, trying to make a living by scamming people, she decided. Nothing he said would be true. Still, she had to wonder about some of the things he said. _"He is good,"_ He'd said about Charlie.

When Claire finally returned home, she noticed the jar of peanut butter that Charlie had brought over last night sitting on the counter. Peanut butter was her favorite food, and biggest pregnancy craving, which she had told Charlie a day or two after they met. She glanced at her answering machine, which was blinking '5' and hit play. The first three were from Charlie, and they were all pretty much the same. Him begging her to listen, that he kicked drugs for good, and that he hadn't met to hurt her, he was sorry. She hardly listened as she opened the jar and ran her finger along the rim, and ate a nice glob of peanut butter. The next message was from Liam. This surprised her a little bit, so she set the jar down to listen.

"Claire, I know you're upset, and I don't blame you. I've been worried about Charlie lately. He didn't want to get help until you came along. I think you can save him. It was bad before, Claire. Really bad, but he's going to therapy and he's serious about quitting. He's a bloody wreck now that you gave up on him, I'm afraid he might start using again. Please, just think about at least talking to him OK?" The machine cut off there, and started playing the next message, from Claire's friend Rachel. She didn't hear a word Rachel said though, because she was still replaying what Liam said in her mind. "_I think you can save him. It was bad, really bad."_ Claire turned off her answering machine, cutting off Rachel who was in the middle of detailing some concert she'd just been to. She thought of Charlie's band, Driveshaft. Two days ago she'd gone to the record store and found both of their albums in the sale bin, so she'd bought them. They were sitting unopened in her bedroom. She pushed the thought of Charlie out of her head, and turned on the news, which she knew would have something on the plane crash. It was all anyone talked about for the past two days. Today, the topic was a fugitive, who had been wanted for murder and had been on the run for a few years. She'd finally been caught and was being brought back to LA.

Claire tried to keep her mind on the television, but her eyes drifted over to the corner, where the bag of baby stuff she and Karen had bought the day before was sitting. Claire bit her bottom lip and picked up the phone, and dialed a number she hadn't in a long time.

"Hello?" the voice said on the other line.

"Thomas?"


	4. Second Chances

**A/N: Thanks again for all of the reviews! I've been busy, but I'll try to get another chapter up soon.  
**

"I decided to keep the baby, I thought you should know." Claire was sitting with her ex-boyfriend Thomas at a coffee shop not too far from her home. It had been three months since she'd even spoken to him.

"Claire, I told you, I'm not ready to be a father yet. It's too much. I can't."

"I know. It's just..."

"I hope you weren't thinking that we would get back together because of this. I have a girlfriend."

"You have a girlfriend?" Claire repeated, hurt. She expected him to move on, but not so soon. It was a little insulting that he could just forget about her so quickly.

"Yeah, well I'm not dating you. We can see other people, Claire." She was about to reply when she looked over Thomas' shoulder. Standing there with his coffee was Charlie. He took in Claire sitting with some other guy and she could see the sadness on his face forming. She wanted to get up and go to him, tell him there was nothing going on with Thomas, but she didn't. It was the reason she was here in the first place, to get him out of her head. Their eyes stayed on each other for another moment before Charlie finally broke the gaze and hurried out of the restaurant. "Claire? You okay?" Claire jerked back into reality, and felt suddenly foolish in thinking that Charlie could be replaced with Thomas of all people.

"I need to go." When she got out of the coffee shop, she took a few deep breaths, steadying herself against the wall. It was impossible to be feeling what she thought she was feeling for Charlie. Exactly one week had passed from the day he bumped into her and made her spill her groceries all over the sidewalk, but somehow it felt like longer. Being with Charlie, even just as friends, was very comfortable. More then her entire relationship with Thomas was. Liam's words as well as the psychic's played over in her head again. "_He is good...you can save him._"

Claire looked around to see if she could still see him. Maybe she could catch him, but what would she say? 'I love you'? She didn't love him. At least, she didn't want to. 'I'm sorry'? That was a start, but really, what did she have to apologize for? Thomas stepped out of the restaurant and stood beside her.

"Are you alright? You ran out of there pretty quick."

"Your girlfriend wouldn't like you talking to me," Claire spat, her words coming out more rude then she intended.

"I'm just checking on you. You're having my baby after all." He smiled at her, and Claire was disgusted with herself for ever calling him.

"I'm fine, just leave me alone."

"Whatever, Claire." With that, she turned and started walking away.

- - - - - - - - - - -

That afternoon, Claire walked down the familiar brightly lit hallway to the room she knew too well. It was silent, as it usually was, except for the beeping of one of the machines. Claire went first to the television, that was her routine now, then to the chair next to the bed. Somehow she forced herself to smile, though these visits never got any easier. They got more difficult if that was possible.

"Hey mom," She said weakly. "I did something stupid. I...I called Thomas. He has a girlfriend now. I didn't tell him, but I met someone too. His name is Charlie, and I think I might have messed things up with him too. Just like I messed up your life, and my baby's life, and even my own life." The tears were sliding down Claire's cheeks quickly now and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She looked at her mother's lifeless body on the bed and grabbed one of her hands. It was ironic in a sense that before the accident, Claire never let her mother see her cry. Now she came to her mother just so she could cry and no one would judge her. She let out a few huge sobs, bawling until she felt raw inside. Through all of her tears, her mother did not wake up. Claire wanted more then anything for her to magically tell her it was going to be okay, but she knew that wasn't possible. A nurse came into the room and smiled sweetly.

"I'm sorry miss, but visiting hours are almost up-" Clarie nodded and was leaving the building before the nurse could even finish her sentence.

Her makeup had smeared, but she didn't care. She threw open her front door just as the phone started to ring. Her heart leapt, hoping that it might be Charlie. As she answered though, she realized it was just the psychic.

"What do you want?" she asked angrily.

"Please, Miss Littleton. I just wanted to tell you about this man you met..."

"Charlie?" Claire interrupted immediately.

"Ah, yes, Charlie. You can fight it all you want, but fate will lead you back to one another. He is supposed to take care of you. You and your baby." Claire didn't say anything.

"There's no such thing as fate," she nearly whispered this, as if Charlie was somehow listening into their conversation.

"I have to go, but please tell me you'll give him another chance." Claire was silent for a moment, then hung up the phone. This was ridiculous. Someone knocked at the door, making her jump. Claire opened the door and stepped back in surprise.

"Charlie? What are you doing here?" He held up a shopping bag in his hand.

"You left a bag of stuff with Karen and Liam. I told them I'd bring it to you. I know you said you were giving the baby up, but then I saw you with your ex-boyfriend so I thought maybe you would need it." Charlie set the bag down, and started to leave.

"How did you know that was my ex-boyfriend?" Charlie jerked back in surprise that she was even talking to him.

"I don't, I guess. I just assumed. I figured that you'd gotten back together or something."

"Well we didn't. Like you said before, he's my ex for a reason." Claire smiled just a little to show that she was willing to at least talk.

"I said that?"

"Yeah, the day we met. Don't you remember?" She didn't know about him, but Claire remembered every single detail about that day. The weather, the clothes she was wearing, right down to the groceries she bought that Charlie had replaced for her.

"I remember that I knocked you over and made you spill everything in your bag." Charlie smiled too, as the memory played over in his mind.

"Do you want to come in for a minute?" Claire stepped aside, leaving enough room for him to walk around her now enormous belly. The grin disappeared quickly from Charlie's face.

"Actually I've got some packing to do. I'm flying back to California tomorrow."

"Why?" Claire asked, in shock. She knew that he was upset, but she always assumed that he would stay in Australia.

"I was staying for you, you know." Charlie told her, lowering his voice. "And yesterday it seemed like you wanted nothing to do with me, so I'm leaving." Claire nodded, slowly processing this information. He stepped a little closer to her. "I just wanted it to be like how it was before."

"The thing is, there is no before. We are total strangers, we've known each other for what, a week? If you want to leave, don't let me stop you." Claire blinked as she struggled not to cry as she spoke. It wasn't fair that the minute she decided to give Charlie another chance, he decided to fly across the world and forget that he had ever met her. She had screwed things up again.

"Alright then." Charlie nodded. "Good luck with your baby."

"Good luck with your band."

"Bye Claire." Charlie paused a minute before turning away and walking down the hall. She didn't trust her voice to say anything yet, so she just picked up the bag that he'd left and shut the door behind him.


	5. Meant to Be

**A/N: Another short one, but I didn't want to drag it out too long. Thanks again for the reviews, keep reviewing and I'll keep updating:-)**

Claire waited an hour before going after him. Maybe it was crazy, or maybe it was what the psychic said, but all of a sudden she had a feeling that she couldn't let him to to LA. When she arrived she stood in the doorway of Liam's guest bedroom that he was using and watched him for a moment. He was grabbing stuff from all over the room and shoving it into his suitcase so fast he didn't even see her standing there.

"Hey," She said stepping over his guitar case and into the room. Charlie looked up in surprise.

"Claire? What are you...how did...?"

"Liam let me in," She clarified. He nodded and went back to packing. Claire stood awkwardly for a few minutes and Charlie didn't so much as look at her.

"Is there something you want? I'm kind of busy." Claire shook her head.

"I just wanted to thank you, for helping me out. And to say goodbye."

"You're welcome," Charlie replied quickly, "And goodbye." Claire felt tears forming in her eyes. She had expected that Charlie would be happy to see her, but clearly he wasn't. "Is that it then?"

"Do you believe in psychics?" Now Charlie set down a pile of clothes he was holding and stood up.

"What?"

"Psychics. It's stupid, but this psychic that I've been seeing for awhile...he said that even if you left, we would find each other again. You know, meant to be."

"You believe that?" He walked toward her, standing about an arm's length away.

"I don't know." They Claire looked into his eyes for a few seconds. What was she waiting for? She was scared of being hurt, but not every guy was going to be like Thomas, Charlie wouldn't hurt her. In one week, she'd felt more of a connection to him then she'd ever had to anyone before, and she got scared. She tried to ignore it, but she couldn't anymore. She had a feeling that the psychic was right, maybe they were meant to be together. Without thinking about it too much, Claire stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and kissed him. It was quick and sweet, and she couldn't fight a smile coming over her face when she pulled back. A second later, Charlie was grinning too. "So are you still going to Los Angeles?"

"I think so, yeah," Claire's face fell. "I hear there are tons of pregnant girls there who need my assistance." He caught her eye and winked to show he was joking and Claire rolled her eyes and hugged him as best she could in her current state. "So you want to help me unpack?" He asked her.

"This might sound crazy, but maybe you could keep packing and maybe stay at my apartment for awhile? It's got three bedrooms, you can't stay at Karen and Liam's forever can you? Plus I need someone to help with the 3 am feedings soon, but I mean, if you don't want to that's totally fine I just thought-"

"Shh," Charlie said, putting a finger to her lips. "I would be honored."

- - - - - - - - - - -

"Where are you taking me?" Charlie and Claire had been living together for over a month now. Charlie had started out sleeping in the guest bedroom, but gradually shifted so he now slept beside Claire. Their relationship was progressing slowly though, because that was what Claire needed. Two days before Claire's much anticipated due date, Charlie had insisted taking her out somewhere for lunch after he had been gone most of the morning. The problem was, he wouldn't tell her where they were going. Charlie pulled up to a secluded little beach, there was somehow no one around, but it was beautiful. The water was a clear blue, and the waves crashed on the beach every so often creating a soothing sound.

"I thought we might have a picnic." He helped her out of the car and walked with her to where he had set up a blanket and a picnic basket. "Peanut butter sandwiches- extra smooth peanut butter of course- some fruit and some very delicious cookies home made by Karen."

"It looks great," Claire laughed.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Claire shook her head, "I'm really happy."

"Well have a seat," Charlie said with a smile. "And enjoy." Claire started to sit when she felt a pain in her stomach.

"Oh no," she grabbed her stomach and stood straight up.

"Is something wrong?" Charlie placed his hand on her shoulder and didn't even try to mask the fear in his eyes. Claire bit her lip and focused on the sandwiches on the ground.

"It's time."


	6. It's a Boy!

**A/N: Big thanks to everyone who's read the entire thing. As long as I keep getting reviews, I will keep writing this.**

"Do you want me to call anyone? Your mum? Dad?" Charlie and Claire had been in the hospital for over an hour, and the doctor predicted it would be awhile longer before the baby was born. While Claire lay on the bed breathing heavily and waiting for the next contraction to hit, Charlie paced nervously. They had never really discussed Claire's family before and now was an uncomfortable time to bring them up.

"I never really knew my father, and my mum...she wouldn't come." Charlie nodded as if he understood, but looked curious too. He didn't dare ask any more questions.

"Well your aunt then? You're close with her right? Or maybe Karen? She went through this, and I was a bloody wreck then too. Although that was because Liam wasn't there-"

"Charlie," Claire rolled her eyes as she cut him off. Whenever he was nervous he talked too fast and ended up babbling on and on until someone stopped him.

"Right. Sorry. So your Aunt. Lindsay right? Should I call her or not?" Claire had barely spoken to her aunt since the day she told her she was keeping the baby. She wasn't too sure that Lindsay would want to be involved so she was about to say no when another contraction came on. Claire bit her lip and nodded as she clutched her belly. When Charlie came back a few minutes later the pain had subsided and she leaned back against her pillows. "She didn't answer, I left a message."

"Thanks," Claire said.

"No problem."

"No, I mean thanks for everything. Without you, I would have been in that plane crash, probably dead. I wouldn't be keeping my baby, that's for sure."

"Don't worry about it," Charlie replied easily. "I got myself out of the crash too." He paused. "So what are you going to name the baby?" Claire hadn't even thought of that, which seemed silly after all the planning she had done over the last four weeks.

"I don't know. What do you think?"

"Well if it's a boy, I'd say Charlie. It's fitting for a strong, good looking lad. Don't you agree?" Claire laughed.

"And for a girl?"

"You know, Charlie can be a girls name too." Claire shook her head.

"You're not helping."

"OK, OK, seriously? I always imagined if I had a son that I would name him Dexter, after my great-grandfather. For a girl, I don't know. I like the name Julia."

"Dexter." Claire repeated. "You would name your son that?"

"After my great-grandfather! He was a brilliant man! What have you got then?"

"My mum's name is Carole," Claire replied quietly. "I thought about having a daughter and naming her that."

"That's good." Again, he didn't ask questions, but the way he looked at her suggested that he wanted to know more.

"When I was a teenager, we were in a car wreck, me and my mum. I was fine, but she...they don't think she will ever wake up." Charlie sat down in the chair beside her bed and held her hand in his. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. "What was that for?" She asked when he pulled away. Charlie shrugged.

"Does it need a reason?"

"No, I guess not. What do you think of the name Aaron?"

"I myself still prefer Charlie, but Aaron's pretty nice as far as names go. What made you think of that?"

"I don't know, I just like it."

"Fair enough. Do you want to play a game while we wait?"

"What kind of a game?" Claire asked suspiciously. Just then the door burst open and Lindsay walked into the room.

"Claire, I need to talk to you. Alone." She could tell by the tone in her voice that this was not going to be good. She glanced nervously from Lindsay to Charlie and then back again.

"I can't really leave." Lindsay glared at Charlie who got up immediately.

"No, Charlie, you don't have to go."

"It's fine, I'll go get a snack." Once Charlie had left the room, Lindsay took his seat beside Claire.

"Claire, you really don't know what you are getting into do you?"

"Excuse me?"

"I just got a message, from _him, _that you were in labor. I can't let you do this. Your mother wouldn't want it."

"What wouldn't she want?"

"Now listen, I watched her go through this with you and your father. He said he would be there for you two, but in the end he ran off to be with his wife and son- his real family."

"Charlie is not like that. You can't judge a guy you've never even met Aunt Lindsay! The baby isn't even his, he doesn't need to be here."

"Well you certainly can't do this by yourself can you? You may think you are making the right decision but you have no idea." Claire was shocked by the way her aunt was reacting. Just because her father had abandoned Claire and her mother, that didn't mean Charlie would abandon her too. They were two completely different people.

"What do you want me to do? He drove me to the hospital, he's been sitting with me all this time, he lives with me! He's staying, and if you don't like it, don't be a part of my baby's life." Lindsay looked as if she had been slapped.

"Fine then." Lindsay stood up to leave. "Have a great life with your rock star boyfriend." She added sarcastically before exiting.

"Well," Charlie said as he walked in, a package of cupcakes in his hand, "That seemed to go quite lovely." Claire was about to respond before she felt another contraction.

"Oh God, I think they're getting closer together now."

"Really?" Charlie stood up so fast he dropped his cupcake. "You think you're going to have it now?" The doctor walked in just then and smiled.

"Did I hear something about having a baby right now?" After a quick check, the doctor confirmed, "It looks like it's just about time."

- - - - - - -

"Push! Push! Come on Claire, you're almost done!" Claire concentrated on Charlie's words and no one else's as she gave birth. She squeezed his hand so hard that she was afraid she was breaking his bones.

"I can't push anymore!" She declared. The nurse said something then, something that Claire did not hear.

"Look at me, Claire. I know you can do this just look at me and squeeze my hand as hard as it hurts." Claire nodded and briefly heard the doctor speak.

"One final push should get the head out."

"Did you hear that Claire? One more and you have a baby!" With Charlie's encouragement, Claire gave one final push and heard the cry of an infant.

"It's a boy!" A few seconds later the baby was cleaned up and placed in Claire's lap.

"I have a son!" Claire laughed with joy and kissed the top of her baby's head. "I have a son!"


	7. Catch A Falling Star

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, I've been working on a few other fics, plus I've got a lot of homework lately. I think this is one of the weaker chapters, but I've already got better ideas for the next one :P**

"_Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket,_

_save it for a rainy day._

_Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket,_

_never let if fade away,_" Claire sang softly to her infant son, who she had decided to name Aaron, and lowered him into his cradle. She stood there for a moment, just watching him sleep. She still didn't understand how she could love someone so much, who two days ago didn't even exist.

"I thought you said you didn't sing," Claire whirled around to see Charlie standing in the doorway.

"I don't. It's just a little song my parents used to sing me." Claire walked out of the nursery, gently shutting the door behind her.

"Your parents?" He was carefully prying, he wanted the full story, that was obvious. Claire never talked about her father to anyone though, not even Charlie.

"Yes," Claire didn't expand, and there was a moment of uncomfortable silence between them.

"Just your mum? Or your father too?" Claire walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Charlie took the seat next to her. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that." Claire nodded and looked the other way.

"My dad...he had this other family. A wife, a son, and he left my mum to be with them. Or she asked him to leave, I don't really know. It's not that exciting of a story. Why did you want to know?"

"I want to know about you, Claire," Charlie answered honestly. Claire turned to face him again and smiled. The phone rang, interrupting their little moment. "I'll get it," Charlie offered. "You should be sleeping anyway." Claire hadn't realized how tired she actually was until Charlie said that. As he got up to answer the phone, Claire laid down and dozed off for awhile.

- - - - - - - - - -

The sudden cry of a baby awoke Claire instantly. She sat straight up and saw Charlie standing in the kitchen, carefully rocking Aaron.

"Shh, shh," He murmured to the child.

"Is he hungry?" Claire asked, walking over to them.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you."

"It's fine," Claire responded, taking Aaron into her arms. "Who was on the phone earlier?"

"Oh, you'll never believe this. Some news channel wants me to do an interview, you know, because we were supposed to be on that plane that crashed. And because I'm a rock god after all. You can come too. They think we have a great story, you and me."

"What exactly is our story?" Claire asked uneasily, as she sat down at the table.

"That we were going to be on the plane, but we met and, you know, now we're...together. If you don't want to, that's fine, I just thought..." Charlie trailed off, and searched his girlfriend's face for any indication of what she was thinking.

"I don't know Charlie, I'm really tired. Who would watch Aaron?"

"Right, right, of course. I'll call them in the morning and cancel." His face fell a little when he spoke, and Claire immediately felt bad.

"You should go, don't let me stop you."

"Is this one of those things where you say I should go, but you really don't think I should, and you get angry at me for leaving you?"

"Of course not. How long will this interview take? A few hours?" Charlie could sense Claire getting slightly irritated with him now, and he chalked it up to her still being hormonal after the birth of her son. Although, he'd never actually known her when she wasn't in a hormonal state.

"I won't go, I'll stay with you. It's okay."

"No you won't. Just go, do the interview, really."

"Really?"

"Really." Charlie bent down and kissed Claire quickly on the cheek.

"I love you," He whispered in her ear. It was the first time that either of them had said it, which was odd since they had been living together for over a month now. Claire didn't know how to respond to this. If she didn't say it back, he would be crushed. She cared about him, but she wasn't quite sure she was actually _in love _with him, not yet. He paused for a minute, then acted like he hadn't even said anything. "I'm going to take a nap. Let me know if you or Aaron need anything." He turned and walked toward their bedroom.

"I love you too Charlie." Claire called out bravely. When he looked at her again, she knew she was right in telling him that she loved him by the way his face lit up. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Aaron's shriek. "I really need to feed him now. Go on, have your nap."

"Right. See you in the morning."

"See you."


	8. Stay With Me

**A/N: Again, sorry for the long wait, but I'll try to get the next chapter up quicker. Please review if you enjoyed it and want to see another update!**

Aaron screamed, and Claire desperately rocked the infant back and forth.

"You're alright," She whispered. "Just go back to sleep now." It had been an especially stressful day because Charlie had run off to do his interview. People were still talking about the plane crash as if it had just happened yesterday, when in fact it was just over six weeks ago that the plane had taken off. To be quite honest, Claire was getting a little sick of hearing about it. A day or two before, the wreckage had been recovered, which caused all news stations to scramble and try to be the first to break the story. Just as Aaron was beginning to quiet down, the phone rang, and he wailed louder then before.

"Hello?" Claire said into the phone, not hiding her irritation.

"Claire, you'll never believe what happened."

"What? Where are you? Coming home?"

"No, still at the news station. A record company got in touch with them when they heard the story- they want Driveshaft to do a come back tour across Europe and a greatest hits album!" Charlie was so excited, but Claire couldn't seem to match his enthusiasm.

"I thought Liam didn't want to do a reunion." Claire replied flatly.

"Oh, he'll come around. He always does."

"How long would this tour be?"

"I don't know yet, maybe three or four months? That's fine with you right?" Was it fine with her? Charlie had convinced her to keep her baby, insisting that he would help but there he goes, running off across the world. Just like Aunt Lindsay said he would. "Claire?"

"I'm not going to stop you. Just tell the fan girls to keep their panties on." Charlie was so wrapped up in this that he didn't even hear the dull sarcasm in her voice.

"I've got to get the rest of the band here, I'll be a few more hours alright?"

A few hours passed, Aaron finally fell asleep, and Claire had listened to both of Driveshaft's albums completely by the time Charlie came home. If anyone wanted her honest opinion, they weren't that great. But she would never tell Charlie that. "So how was it?" Claire asked when he finally walked in the door.

"It was brilliant. They're going to announce the tour tomorrow and tickets go on sale this week."

"So how long is this?"

"Right now three months. But who knows? We could go world wide, we were huge you know!"

"Yeah," Claire said under her breath, "Believe me, I know."

"What?" Charlie asked. "I know it seems to be a long time now, but it will go by so fast, it will be over before you know it."

"How can you even do a greatest hits record if you only have two records out? And only one song that people have even heard?" She was being mean now, and she knew it. She just didn't want to admit that Lindsay was right, he was leaving her just like Thomas did.

Charlie just frowned at her. This was not the reaction he was expecting. "Do you not want me to go?" His face fell a little. "I'll stay if you want me to. Tell Liam and them that it's off."

"No, just go. I don't care."

"Alright," Charlie said uneasily. "Only if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

- - - - - - - - - -

About a month had passed since the initial tour had been announced. There was somehow such overwhelming response that tickets had sold out almost immediately. Charlie had been hesitant to add more dates, but Claire knew that they probably would eventually. She still wasn't completely OK with him leaving, but the more he talked about it, the easier it became to accept. The difference with him and Thomas was that Charlie would be back, he promised her. Thomas was gone for good. She shifted the now five-week old Aaron to her other arm while they said goodbye.

"Aaron is going to miss you singing him lullaby's every night."

"You can sing to him, I've heard you." Charlie tickled the infants arm. There was a slightly awkward silence, which was broken by Aaron's coo. "I've got to leave for the airport now. This is your last chance to stop me." He said this with a smile and a laugh, but Claire guessed he was only half-joking.

"It's not just Aaron who will miss you, you know."

"Really?" Charlie asked in mock surprise. "Who else will?"

Claire tried to smile, but she couldn't. She would miss him so much. "I might," She told him softly.

Charlie grinned and pecked her on the cheek. He glanced down at his hands, and at the thick metal ring he always wore on his middle finger. "You know what?" He asked. "I think maybe you should hold onto this while I'm away." Charlie slid the ring off of his finger and held it out to her.

"I couldn't. That thing has been in your family for so long, what if I lost it? I'd feel terrible." Claire looked at the ring in his palm, and then at his face. It wasn't the first time that she'd wondered if it was possible to have only known him for barely three months.

"Aw, you won't lose it. If it makes you feel better, I'll give it to Aaron instead. He's the man of the house now, after all." He gently tucked the ring into the baby's blanket, making him stir in his sleep.

"Yeah, now I'll feel loads better if your family heirloom gets lost, because I can blame it on my baby."

"That's the spirit." Charlie glanced at his watch again. "I'm late now." He kissed her again, this time on the lips, very quickly. "I'll be back soon. Don't miss me too much."

"I'll try not to," She replied sarcastically, although her heart ached at the thought of him being gone. "I love you." She was still nervous saying this though they'd each said it before, so she spoke quietly and looked at the ground, then looked up to meet his eyes for only a second before looking down again.

"I love you too." He spoke so much more confidently then she had. "Bye Aaron. I'll call when we get to Manchester." All Claire could do was nod, because she didn't trust her voice. When the door finally shut behind him, she set her son in his cradle, and placed the ring on her thumb. It was too big. She felt a tear slide down her cheek and turned to glance back at the door. She wondered if it was too late to change her mind, and tell him that she didn't want him to leave, she wanted him to stay with her.


	9. I Miss You

**A/N: Again, sorry for the wait. I had a really hard time writing this, but I think now I have a pretty good idea of where this story is going to go. Please keep reviewing, I appreciate it tons!!**

Claire clutched Charlie's ring tightly in her hand and waited as patiently as she possibly could by the phone. This was what most nights now consisted of for her. Charlie never had a steady number, but he had promised to call every day. And he did, most nights. Those which he didn't were especially hard on Claire. She would fall asleep holding on the the cordless phone, and wake up in the morning going crazy with worry, something _must _have happened to him if he didn't call! Their conversations were normally short and sweet, due to the band constantly being on the road. While she was waiting, Claire picked up her planner, where she had circled in red ink the day he was supposed to come home. Eight weeks he had been gone. She sighed. Four weeks to go.

The truth was, there was a reason Charlie was avoiding her. Well, not _avoiding _her exactly, he still called, just skipped nights here and there and tried to get off the phone as soon as possible. He felt bad of course, he had missed Aaron's first Christmas, among other things which he knew upset Claire. He couldn't go back though, not yet. And it wasn't because of the tour, he could end it in a minute if he really wanted to. No, it was because of the phone call he'd gotten two days before he left, when he was still debating whether or not to leave her. It was so clear in his mind as if he had just heard it yesterday.Some guy had called, looking for him. He identified himself as Richard Malkin, a "psychic". He said that he knew Claire, and he wanted Charlie to come in for a reading because he had some sort of "feeling". Charlie had gone without telling Claire, and Richard had told him that his time was almost up.

"_What the bloody hell do you mean by that?" _Charlie had asked, confused.

"_I mean, you can't live forever. It could be days, weeks, months maybe, but you are running out of time." _Richard replied, as if this was a normal thing to tell someone.

"_How do you know this? And why are you even telling me?" _At this point, Richard had sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"_Because I am familiar with Ms. Littleton. You are bringing danger toward her and her child."_

Yes, Charlie remembered the conversation well. Richard was full of crap, he was sure, but he wouldn't take any chances. He half hoped that he would just die on the tour, and get it over with. In four weeks, being that he was still alive, he would have to go back to Sydney. And bring this mysterious danger to Claire and Aaron. It was painfully hard being away from them, but he would rather die then bring any type of danger to Claire, the woman he loved, or her son.

"Oy! Charlie!" Charlie looked to where Liam was standing holding the cordless phone that stayed on the tour bus with them in his hand. "You want to call your girl?"

He sighed. He had missed the last two nights in a row, so he nodded and reached for the phone. His hope was that Claire wouldn't answer, and there would be a valid excuse for why they hadn't spoken in so long. Yes, this was what he wanted except... he did miss her, so much. He dialed, and she picked up on the first ring.

"Hi it's Charlie..."

"I just don't get it. Is Liam like this when he's on tour too?" Claire was having lunch with Karen, something they'd begun to do weekly since Charlie and Liam were away.

"He's worse. He thinks I don't know, but he always starts with the drugs whenever he gets with those bloody band mates of his." She then glanced at Claire, realizing that she was not the best person to say this to. "I'm sure Charlie won't do anything like that though. He really turned everything around for you. Really, you should have seen him before, it was awful. But I guess it's good you didn't see it." She chuckled a little bit after this, like it was supposed to be a joke. Claire didn't laugh.

"Yeah..." was her weak reply. It would be a lie if she said that she hadn't worried at least a little bit about Charlie's drug problem. Especially considering how distant he'd been lately.

"So how's your son?" Karen asked, turning the conversation around.

"Aaron? He's great. Three months old now, he's getting big."

"Three months...seems like just yesterday you had him."

"I know, it really does." Claire tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Well, I'd better get going. He should be waking up from his nap soon, and I promised the sitter I would be back before then."

"Of course," Karen replied happily. It amazed Claire how upbeat she could be when her husband was across an entire ocean, and quite possibly doing drugs. Claire was a mess.

When she got back to her apartment, she found Aaron still sleeping soundly in his cradle. She lifted him gently, and he stirred. "You know Aaron, your daddy will be home soon. One more month." It was no secret that she considered Charlie Aaron's father. She hadn't even seen Thomas since that incident at the cafe. She kissed her son tenderly on the head and whispered, "He loves us very, very much, and he misses you. He can't wait to be back with us again." She said this more for her own benefit then for Aaron's. Because the truth was it didn't seem like Charlie missed them at all. But she did miss him, so much.


	10. Homecoming

**A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews, I love anyone who's read this whole thing!**

This was it, the day Claire had had circled on her calendar for three months now, the day Charlie's tour ends and he comes back to her. She had debated back and forth whether or not she should meet him at the airport, but eventually decided not to. Aaron had been fussy all day, and it wasn't worth it to hire a sitter for the hour or so she would be gone. She rolled his ring around in her palm, today she would have to give that back to him too. It had been practically attached to her these last four months, and Claire was a little sad to have to return it to Charlie. Having the ring was like having a little piece of Charlie wherever she went, and she liked that feeling. While he was away, Claire had decided she was done with being cautious and scared of love. She was thinking about this as the door opened, interrupting her thoughts and making her jump.

"Charlie!" She was mildly surprised at how excited she got by finally seeing him. She had tried to hard to picture his face when he was gone, and it had gotten harder and harder. Now though, she just ran to him and gave him a hug, temporarily forgetting about all the worrying she'd been doing lately about Charlie's lack of phone calls among other things.

Charlie didn't say anything, just took a deep breath, and soaked in her blond hair and her smile, two things he had missed terribly over the last four months. Obviously, he hadn't died... yet. His meeting with Richard had been so long ago, maybe it was time to just forget about it already, except for what he said about bringing danger to Claire and the baby. He couldn't do that, so he stepped back from her, as hard as it was.

"What's wrong?" She asked, and his heart nearly broke.

"Nothing, I just have to go unpack."

"You don't need to unpack right this second. Tell me how the tour was."

"I told you over the phone, it was good, lots of fans." He picked up his bag and headed toward the bedroom.

"Oh. Well, Aaron's asleep right now, but when he wakes up I know he'll love to see you again."

"Claire, he's just a baby, he won't even remember who I am." He couldn't look at her when he said this, he didn't want to see the hurt that was inevitably on her face.

"Of course he will, your his daddy." This caused Charlie to jerk his head around in surprise. She had never referred to him as that before.

"What did you say?"

Claire half smiled and walked to him. "You're the only father he's ever known."

"Right, well, I have to... you know..." He walked into the bedroom without even bothering to finish his sentence. She had caught him off guard, it would be so much harder to separate himself from them if he was Aaron's _father_.

Claire woke that night to the sound of a guitar. It was sound she had greatly missed. The way Charlie acted when he came home and hurt her, sure, but for her own benefit she would chalk it up to his being tired and try to start again. She glanced at the clock, 3:00 AM. Really early, or really late depending on how you looked at it. Claire crept out into the living room where Charlie was sitting on the couch, playing some quiet, beautiful melody that she didn't remember ever hearing before. She stood there for a few minutes, just watching him play.

"It's beautiful," She told him finally, announcing her presence.

"It's nothing," He replied. "Doesn't even have lyrics."

"Maybe it doesn't need them. It's pretty great the way it is." She sat beside him on the couch, and remembered the happy-go-lucky guy that he had been before the tour, the guy that was always cracking jokes and making her laugh. Claire wondered where that guy was.

"It's not really a song then is it?" They locked eyes for a brief second before Charlie broke the gaze and set his guitar on the floor. "I didn't wake Aaron did I? I was trying to be quiet."

"Oh no. Just me."

"Sorry."

"No, it's alright. Are you OK?"

"Brilliant," Charlie said, though Claire didn't really believe it. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. You seem really... moody or something since you've been back."

"Well I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He said this probably rougher then he should have, and she frowned.

"OK I won't."

"Good."

"I guess I'll go back to bed then." Claire stood up, but didn't turn away.

"You didn't have to come out here in the first place you know."

"I know, I thought maybe you would want to talk or something." Charlie had picked up his guitar again, and set it on his knee but now he stopped.

"I'm tired Claire. Maybe in the morning." That wasn't what he wanted to say. He wanted to sit with her and tell her all about the tour, and how happy he was to be back, and have it be just like it was before he left, but it couldn't be like that anymore.

"Fine." With that she went back to bed and Charlie was left watching her walk away.


	11. Almost Normal

**A/N: I'm kind of at a crossroads with this story now, and I have two ways to end it. One way is pretty dark, and the other is happy and fluffy lol. I haven't decided yet which way to go, but whatever I choose the last two or three chapters should be up soon. Enjoy :-)**

Claire felt like she was always waiting for Charlie to come home lately. He had been back from the tour for a week, and nearly every day since then he'd run off some place, half the time not even bothering to tell her where he was going or when he would be back. She normally wouldn't wait up for him, but it was today that she realized that she had never given him back his ring. He never noticed or asked about it, which Claire was sure he would have. It wasn't just the ring though, something was going on with Charlie, and today Claire wanted some answers. Charlie walked in after a few minutes and Claire stood up.

"Claire? It's late, what are you still doing up?" Charlie asked, setting down his guitar case and coming into the room.

"That's funny, I was just going to ask you the same thing. Where have you been?"

"Nowhere. At Liam's." Claire rolled her eyes.

"I still have your ring. I thought you might like it back," She told him flatly. Charlie paused. His ring. How had he forgotten? He reached out for it, then drew his arm back. He and Liam always said that they would pass the ring onto their first born. While Aaron wasn't technically his, Claire had called him his father last week, and if Charlie really was going to die soon Aaron would be the one who he would want to have it.

"You keep it."

"What? Why? I thought it was your most prized possession, the only heirloom in your family."

"Yeah. You can have it, give it to Aaron when he gets older."

"What the bloody hell is going on Charlie?" Claire asked. She was sick of how he was acting lately.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Yes you do, don't play dumb. You've been on a whole other planet since you've been back and I want to know what's wrong." She was raising he voice now, and getting angry.

"Shh," Charlie said soothingly, "You'll wake the baby."

"Don't shush me. You know, Aaron's not really your responsibility, and we've gotten along just fine without you. If you don't like me anymore you can leave, you don't have to stay here."

"Is that what you really think? That I don't like you?"

"That's what it seems like." Charlie drew in a long breath. He would have to tell her now, about the psychic. He hadn't wanted to worry her, but if she was starting to doubt his feelings for her and Aaron he had to say something.

"Don't ever think that Claire," Charlie said softly, and stepped toward her. "I love you."

"Then tell me what's wrong."

"OK," Charlie eased her down on the couch and sat beside her. "It was before I left, there was this psychic..."

When the story had been told, Claire just looked at him. "That's ridiculous," she finally decided.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want anything to happen to you." Claire shook her head.

"Richard is crazy. So here, take your ring, you'll be fine." She drew the thick metal band from her pocket and pressed it into her palm. "You aren't going to die Charlie. I need you."

Charlie slid the ring back onto his finger where it belonged, it was too big for Claire anyway.

Claire rolled over and looked at the clock. Sunlight was streaming in all around her, and outside she could hear Charlie singing to Aaron. One month had passed since their little episode when Charlie confessed about the psychic, and things had been better then ever. They were like a little family. She finally rolled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. Aaron was laughing as Charlie cut up a banana and made funny faces at him.

"Good morning, sunshine." Charlie called as he saw her enter.

"Good morning yourself." She walked over to the high chair and kissed her son's forehead, then gave Charlie a peck on the cheek as well.

"Hey, I had an idea. What if we let Karen and Liam watch him for the day and you and I go to the park for a little walk?"

"I'd say that sounds great. Maybe we could pack a picnic?"

"Excellent. I'll make a basket."

Two hours later they were strolling through the pretty much empty park on a warm April morning, hand in hand, and just by looking you would never be able to guess what they had been through. For once, they were practically normal. But the normal didn't last long.

"You want to sit and eat soon?" Charlie asked and Claire nodded.

"There's a good spot underneath those trees up there." As they walked to the space Claire wanted to sit, she noticed someone walking their way on the path in front of them. It could have been anyone, except it wasn't. And call it intuition, but Claire knew it wasn't just some random stranger.


	12. The Return

**A/N: I think it's pretty clear which ending I decided to take after this chapter ;-) There will be at least one more chapter to finish it off, I hope you all enjoy it!**

Clarie stopped walking and watched as the approaching person came clearly into view.

"What is it?" Charlie asked.

"That's my ex-boyfriend... that's Thomas."

"Aaron's father?" Claire nodded, and Thomas finally reached them.

"Claire, aren't you gonna say hi?" His eyes were red and watery, he was clearly drunk.

"What are you doing here Thomas?" He didn't immediately answer Claire's question, instead focused on Charlie.

"Who's this bloke?"

"Don't talk about him like that. He's my boyfriend." Claire looked cautiously at Charlie, who's eyes never left Thomas'.

"Where's the baby? You've had 'im by now right?" He swayed slowly back and forth, barely able to stand.

"You've been drinking. You need to go home now," Claire told her ex calmly, though secretly she was a little afraid. She didn't know what he was capable of.

"We should still be together, for the kid." His words were slurring now, and he stepped closer to them. "I want to see him." He was so close, Claire could smell his breath. It stank.

Charlie, who had been silent until now, protectively put his arm around the petite blond and spoke to Thomas, "Come on man, you need to get out of here."

"I wasn't talkin' to you!" Thomas nearly shouted. "Claire, I'm sorry. Come back to me." He grabbed Claire's wrist and she jerked away.

"Don't touch her ever again," Charlie told him, his voice low and serious. He stepped in front of his girlfriend and pushed Thomas back a little bit.

"Charlie, don't touch him. Let's just go," Claire had a bad feeling about where this was going. Both men ignored her, however, staying where they were.

"So that's how it's gonna be is it?" Thomas took another step back, then reached into his jacket removing a handgun.

"Thomas, no! Put it away, please!" Claire's eyes widened and she stepped back to Charlie's side. The drunken Australian payed no attention to her and aimed the gun. In that moment, Charlie knew. His time was up, it was over, just like Richard had said.

"Got anything you wanna say? Any last words?"

"Get out of the way Claire," Charlie said softly.

"No! Charlie don't do this! Thomas, I'll do anything you want, please, just put the gun down, put it down!" She looked frantically for anyone else around. Why was the damn park so empty? The rest all happened in a blur; Charlie shoving her to the ground, the sound of a gun piercing the perfect air, once, twice, three times it went off, then Charlie collapsing. Claire rushed to the body of the man she loved while Thomas just stood there in shock, as if he couldn't believe what he had done. "Somebody help!" Claire screamed as loud as her lungs would allow and she propped Charlie's head up in her lap. "Anyone!" Thomas suddenly took off, running down the street as fast as his legs would carry him.

It seemed like hours had passed, though it was probably only minutes, maybe seconds, before someone finally saw them, the image of a young woman sobbing and desperately holding her dying boyfriend's body. The man who had seen them immediately pulled out his cell phone and called for an ambulance before running to them. "Charlie?" Claire asked through her tears, "Can you hear me? Please wake up. Please, please wake up."

His eyelids fluttered, making her heart leap and then his lips moved to form one final sentence, "I... love... you."


	13. Just Keep Smiling

**A/N: So this is it, the last chapter! Once again, thanks to anyone and everyone who has read this from beginning to end, and bigger thanks to those who reviewed and kept this story going! **

She stood at the front of the church, dressed completely in black. She'd never liked wearing black before, it didn't go very well with her pale skin and blond hair. Today was different though. She wouldn't cry because she had done enough of that at the hospital and besides, Charlie wouldn't want her to. If he were here right now he would be cracking a joke, making a face, doing anything to get her to laugh. For his sake, if he was watching her somewhere, she forced a small, sad smile. The service would be starting soon, and she would have to return to her seat in the front row beside Liam. Claire ran her hand across the closed casket, and his face entered her mind. She wore his ring on a chain around her neck now. She imagined that she would give it to Aaron some day, so he would have something to remember his father. Tomorrow she had to testify at Thomas' trial, but today she wouldn't think about him. He didn't even deserve her thoughts.

She drew in a long, shaky breath and then spoke, softly, so he was the only one who could hear, "Aaron hasn't slept much since you've been gone," She told him. "He cries all the time. I think he knows your gone, I think he misses you. I miss you. I love you, Charlie. I still do, and I always will." One lone tear slid down her cheek, but that's all she would allow.

The April morning was sunny and warm, just as it had been that day when he had been taken from her.

"Good morning Charlie," Claire said, her voice light and happy. She set the bright yellow flowers next to the gray stone to add a splash of color. He had only been with her for seven months, now he was seven years gone. She came faithfully to visit him a few times a year, and usually brought Aaron along as well. Today she was by herself, and she plopped down into the grass next to the gravestone.

"Aaron's with Karen and Liam," Claire pulled her knees up to her chest as she talked. Some people thought it was odd, her speaking to a grave like this, but it was something she needed to do. "I have a date tonight. I hope you don't mind, it's one of Aaron's friends fathers. Don't worry, he won't ever replace you, no one could. It's just time, you know? I'll always love you more though." Claire ran her hand over the letters, 'Charlie Hieronymus Pace'. To be honest, she didn't really want to go out with this guy tonight, but she felt bad saying no and besides, it really was time to move on right? The first year had been the hardest, she didn't sleep much and when she did she had nightmares. All she could see when she closed her eyes was the last time she had seen Charlie alive, his head propped in her lap, blood all over his chest. Now it was easier, but only a little. She still missed him, and there was the occasional nightmare. Every once in a while, Aaron asked Claire to tell him a story about his daddy, and Claire was always happy to oblige. She showed him pictures of Charlie, ones that she'd found online because she'd never had any real ones, and let him take Charlie's guitar out sometimes. Aaron vowed that he would grow up to be a rock star, just like his daddy. As for Thomas, he was in prison now. After the trial, she never thought or spoke about him.

"I let Aaron listen to your records the other day. He loved it, he goes around telling everyone that his daddy was famous." Claire chewed her bottom lip, struggling not to cry, although she already knew she wouldn't. She had almost forgotten how. She imagined what life would be like if they hadn't gone to the park for a picnic so long ago. They would probably be married by now, maybe they would have some more children. Charlie would be a great father, and they would live happily ever after. But that only happened in fairy tales, and since Claire's Prince Charming was now dead, she would never get her fairy tale ending.

The real reason she was able to at least pretend to be happy, even on the loneliest of nights, was because after the funeral she had gone home and started to sort through his things. Mixed in with clothes was a small, balled up piece of paper. She wasn't sure where it came from or how it had gotten there, but when she opened it, it read in Charlie's familiar handwriting, "Just keep smiling." Who knows when or why he had written it, the point was that she found it, and she kept it all this time.

"I have to go now," Claire said, "But I'll come back soon. I miss you, and I love you." She closed her eyes and thought of his note. It was hard, but she would. Just keep smiling.


End file.
